An African Treasure: Gladys Casely-Hayford, 1904 - 1950
she was a cultural luminary of her day...

Author, Yema Lucilda Hunter was born in Sierra Leone, West Africa and now lives in Ghana, West Africa. Her novels include, Road to Freedom, Bittersweet and Redemption Song. Her new biography is An African Treasure, in Search of Gladys Casely-Hayford, 1904 - 1950.

Born in Ghana (previously named the Gold Coast, West Africa before independence), Gladys Casely-Hayford was a West African writer, poet, musician, dramatist, painter and story-teller. She was the daughter of the political the visionary Pan Africanist and African nationhood leader, J.E. Casely-Hayford. Her mother was African Victorian feminist, Adelaide Smith Casely-Hayford. Gladys has been described as, " a cultural luminary of her day ", and as an " outstanding [author] among Creole literati ".

In the United States of America there has been a resurgence of interest in the creative writing of Gladys Casely-Hayford. Her poetry and sort stories have appeared in recent anthologies. Some readers believe she was part of the great cannon of African-American women writers known as the Harlem Renaissance. However, Gladys spent most of her life in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Yema Lucilda says, " her place in the cultural history of Sierra Leone and Ghana seems to have been lost. This book is an attempt to remedy that situation as well as tell her life story."

Jembe, the Journey Home is the first novel in the Kembrekki Trilogy by P.D. Casely-Hayford, which follows the journey of the Ancestors, and their influences over their descendents. The novel explores how identity is redefined as we explore our personal histories and cultures.... Read morePhotographs courtesy of P.D. Casely-Hayford. copyright: P.D. Casely-Hayford

When Freedom Kissed Her... she broke through Walls. These are the first lines of a poem by P.D. Casely Hayford, and the title of the book of poetry. This publication is a collection of previously published works, as well as new writings that have been resting on the shelves for years.